Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/255538
E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 3 1 W e d n e s d a y, Fe b ru a r y 5 , 2 0 1 4 SECURITY SOFTWARE EARNS HIGH RATINGS FOR BROCKPORT An interview with Wayne Rickman, Technical Administrator for Brockport Central School District. ESD: Tell us about your security audit. WR: Our district hired a company to do an audit of all our technology. Our secu- rity software, Fortres 101, Clean Slate and Central Control, rated as excellent. After seeing how secure our computers are, the auditing company started recom- mending Fortres Grand software to other schools. ESD: What is the benefit of Fortres 101 and Central Control? WR: To deny access to the C drive. Fortres 101 locks down the desktop to limit student's access. Once we installed Fortres 101, our support calls went down. ESD: Why did you add Clean Slate? WR: Specifically to clear spyware and viruses. Clean Slate clears computer changes at log off and reboot. We have been using Fortres 101 since 2000. In 2004, web-based spyware started to hit, so we added Clean Slate, which eliminat- ed the spyware issues. I remember there was a virus that was spreading like wild- fire. We just rebooted the computers in the classrooms and the virus was com- pletely gone. Even now, I will get support calls about a virus. I just tell them to log off and that always fixes the issue. ESD: What do you like best about Central Control? WR: Central Control is a huge time-saver. I can just sit at any computer in a classroom to make a change, and with Central Control the change gets pushed out to the entire dis- trict. The change is made and pushed out to the entire district in minutes. ESD: What do you like better about Clean Slate over reboot to restore products? WR: Making changes on the fly. We don't have to shut down the computer to make a change. Everything is quick and easy. With other products, you have to reboot computers to make a security change. When Clean Slate and Central Control are used together, the change I make is instant for the entire district. I was helping another school who switched from a reboot to restore product to Clean Slate. They commented to me that they are happy they switched to Clean Slate and I was smart for going with Clean Slate from the beginning. I also like the ability to have differ- ent security for different users based on the user login. ESD: Do you have anything you want to add? WR: Support is great. When I call sup- port, I talk to someone in Indiana. I can understand them and they are easy to talk to. If support can't fix the problem while on the phone, they keep working with us until we get the issue resolved. Not to mention, the support is included in the purchase price so there is no yearly cost. In addition to the great products and reli- able support, the fact that support is free is huge. For more information, visit www.fortres grand.com or call 800-331-0372. EDCO POWERS STREAMING EXPERIENCE WITH VSI IPTV TECHNOLOGY Visionary Solutions, Inc. (VSI) has announced that EDCO, a leading provider of advanced technology solu- tions for the education market, has deployed its AVN series of encoders and PackeTV® Views browser-based plat- form to power a new end-to-end video broadcasting solution called the K12 Broadcaster™. Leveraging VSI's IPTV solutions, the K12 Broadcaster cost- effectively streams high-quality stan- dard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) video and audio content to class- rooms, auditoriums and other areas, improving the teaching and learning experience for instructors and students. "The K12 Broadcaster is a simple and cost-effective solution that enables school districts to continue receiving cable TV and broadcast signals with an image qual- ity far exceeding what was previously delivered via coax cable, without any downtime," said David Allen, Chief Executive Officer, EDCO. "VSI's AVN encoders are key to the system's seamless scalability and outstanding video quality, while PackeTV Views features an intu- itive user interface that simplifies IPTV delivery, enabling school districts to simultaneously stream 1080p quality video to several thousand classrooms." The K12 Broadcaster cost-effectively replaces analog DVD/VCR tuners that were previously required to receive cable TV and broadcast channels in the classroom. By streaming SD or HD video and audio content over the network to a projector located within the classroom, the fully integrated IP-based streaming solu- tion eliminates the expense and complexi- ties of costly coaxial equip- ment. The K12 Broadcaster optimizes network bandwidth through video compression and multicasting functionality capable of streaming video to thousands of end users at less than three megabits per second. As a mobile/fixed broadcast solu- tion, the K12 Broadcaster provides an effective solution for producing a live broadcast of the morning announcements or broadcasting from any location in the school to all classrooms, simplifying communications between the administra- tive office, teaching staff and students. The K12 Broadcaster is fully scalable to a district's available network bandwidth, and can be customized based upon a dis- trict's specific requirements and budget. As part of EDCO's K12 Broadcaster solution, VSI's AVN encoders compress SD and HD video and audio into H.264 real-time streams. The AVN encoders feature standards-compliant compression and an optimized network interface that ensures superior-quality, full frame-rate video and audio. Through the encoders' flexible, modu- lar architec- ture, school districts can support a wide range of video resolu- tions, including 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. A simple browser-based dashboard streamlines the management of IPTV content. Intuitive controls enable easy operation by both technical and non- technical personnel, making it the ideal administrative portal for the educational market. The HTML-based solution can easily be customized with branding to personalize the classroom experience. "While budgets are always tight for school districts, the quality of education should never be sacrificed," said Joe Walsh, Vice President of Sales, VSI. "Partnering with EDCO, VSI provides educators with a flexible, cost-saving solu- tion for streaming high-quality video and audio content to the classroom. We believe the K12 Broadcaster powered by VSI's IPTV solutions is the model framework for the educational market in delivering a next-generation educational experience."